ICJIA’s Research & Analysis Unit is committed to advancing justice and informing policy through rigorous research and evaluation. Our latest newsletter, Fall 2025 Issue 20, highlights key initiatives and achievements in the field of criminal justice, victim services, and violence prevention.

This edition features a spotlight on ICJIA’s newest statewide violence prevention plan. Published in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, this report outlined three major priorities to address and reduce violence in our state:

  • Prevent violence and promote health and safety through trauma-informed/healing-centered, evidence-based and comprehensive primary, secondary, and/or tertiary prevention efforts.
  • Advance equity by increasing access to grants and other economic opportunities.
  • Promote collaboration across state, municipal, and community-based agencies, informed by research and data, sharing of best practices and lessons learned, and ongoing discussions.

The Ad Hoc Violence Prevention Committee will meet quarterly in order to check in on these goals, discuss progress, and stay informed on additional opportunities and partnerships.

Our newsletter also covers new research publications, including a paper on The Evaluation of the Illinois Multi-Site Police-Initiated Deflection Initiative. Led by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) in partnership with ICJIA, the Illinois State Police, and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), this initiative hopes to increase the number of deflection programs in the state to help individuals who come into contact with police. In this report, ICJIA researchers shared the evaluation design, data, and challenges faced during this multi-year evaluation.

Finally, two Task Force reports were published over the previous quarter. First, findings from Colton’s Task Force, a group charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the process, operation, and enforcement of current Illinois domestic violence laws, as well as developing recommendations to address reporting gaps, were shared. Second, the Illinois Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force published its 2025 report detailing weaknesses in firearm prohibitor reporting and identifying a strategy to direct resources and revenue to ensure reporting is reliable, accurate, and timely.

To delve deeper into these important topics and stay updated on our work, please click on “PDF version” to download the newsletter.